A loud booming sound was reported Tuesday morning along Charleston County's coast, and the National Weather Service says it was most likely caused by a sonic boom.

The weather service started receiving reports of the boom and shaking around 8 a.m. A James Island resident wrote on Facebook that the boom shook her house. A man said he heard it in West Ashley.

The United States Geological Survey has not reported an earthquake in the area.

"At this point, we're pretty confident it's not an earthquake," said Carl Barnes, a meteorologist with the weather service. "Unfortunately, we really can't say with any confidence what it was. ... If it is military testing, which is certainly a possibility, they don't let us know."

Otherwise, Tuesday in Charleston started off with cool temperatures, but more comfortable weather is ahead. The high is expected to be near 69 with sunny skies.

Some theories have been refuted, while more mysterious references have appeared.

Shortly before 2 p.m., the boom was heard throughout the Black Hills. Some people said it shook their homes or businesses, rattling windows, and scaring them in several instances.

But the noise was heard in a much larger area than the Black Hills. Responses to Tuesday's Black Hills Pioneer story reported hearing the noise from Western Nebraska to Southeast Montana.

Kathy Griesse reported hearing the noise near the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument south of Harrison, Neb. She said it sounded like the noise came from the north and west of her. Additionally, she talked to people in Crawford, Neb., where people told her windows rattled at the sound of the boom; people in Whitney, Neb., also heard the noise.

On the northern end of reports, Lane Pilster said he heard the boom at his ranch, 14 miles west of Alzada, Mont.

This is about a 200-mile straight-line distance between the two reported locations.

Pilster reported that he and his dad both heard the noise to the south of them.

"The beginning of it was intense, but then faded off with a dull rumbling like a jet was flying by. The sound probably lasted about 8-10 seconds," Pilster said.

He also said he felt a moderate vibration around 5:30 a.m. Monday, and that it lasted 15-20 seconds.

He wasn't the only one to hear a strange noise apart from the 2 p.m. event.

A loud and still unexplained boom startled South Frontenac residents on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 24.

The boom, first reported at around 8:50 p.m., was heard throughout the county, including Inverary, Sydenham, Glenburnie and Sunbury. Several residents of Rutledge Rd, Railton Rd, Greenfield Rd, Perth Rd, Freeman Rd, Unity Rd, Round Lake and Silverwood Dr reported what was described as "a window rattling explosion".

While South Frontenac fire crews and OPP quickly responded to the reports, they reported nothing visible and were unable to find a cause. Some theorized that a jet may have caused a sonic boom, however no jet noises were reported prior to the sound. Another theory, an earthquake, has not been corroborated by recent seismographic records. There are some unconfirmed reports of a visible meteor streaking across the sky north of Kingston at approximately the same time, however, as well as areas of the GTA and Northern USA.

Some residents jokingly pointed out that the boom coincided with Brad Marchand's goal against the Russians, giving Canada the lead in the World Cup hockey game. The investigation continues. More to come...

Already on edge days after two bombings in New York and New Jersey, residents were startled on Wednesday afternoon by an earthshaking boom that thundered across several neighborhoods in Queens and on Long Island.

Many jumped on Twitter to unleash a stream of panicked, anxious questions: Did you hear that? What happened? Had terrorists struck again?

Well, New York, there is good news and bad news. The noise that shook buildings and rattled nerves does not appear to have been caused by terrorism. But no one seems to know what, exactly, was the cause.

Calls flooded into the New York Police Department and the Fire Department, which sent units to investigate the reports in "a ton" of locations, according to a spokesman. Shortly after the first reports, the police tweeted that the noise had been caused by two F-22 military aircraft flying over Queens.

Multiple KOMU viewers across mid-Missouri reported feeling the effects of an explosion Wednesday.

Reports came in from areas including Cole, Moniteau and Morgan counties. A viewer said the explosion shook windows in California and Fortuna.

Capt. John Wheeler of the Cole County Sheriff's Department said he received several calls from people reporting the explosion as a sonic boom.

Wheeler said the explosion could have been from a meteor, but the best explanation would be a sonic boom from an airplane, based on calls the sheriff's department received.

Comment: With such limited information it is hard determine what might be the source of these explosions or booms. They might be a result of the increase in fireballs exploding in our atmosphere or a sign of some earth changes occuring.